Means for defining the beat of the lay of looms.



No. 701,973. 7 Patented June It], I902. c. H. WARREN. MEANS FOR DEFININGTHE BEAT OF THE LAY 0F LOOMS.

(Application filed Feb. 8, 1902.)

(No Model.)-

UNITED STATES CHARLES H. WARREN, OF PITTSTON,

PATENT OFFICE."

MAINE, ASSIGNOR TO DRAPER COM- PANY, OF HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, ACORPORATION OF MAINE.

MEANS FOR DEFINING THE BEAT OF THE LAY OF LOOMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 701,973, datedJ'une v10, 1902. r .Application filed February 8,1902. Serial No. 93,179. (Nomodel.) I i To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CrrARLEs H. WARREN, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Pittston, county of Kennebec, State of Maine, haveinvented an Improvement .in Means for Defining the Beat of the Lay ofLooms, of which the following description, in

connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, likeletters on the drawings representing like parts. V

This invention has for its object the production of means for limitingor defining the forward beat or stroke of the lay of a loom, so that thevariation in its front-center position due to backlash or lost motionand speed variation will be substantially at a fixed point, such resultbeing obtained without shock or jar of the moving parts. In accordancetherewith I have provided a yielding buffer or cushion for the lay,operative at or about the instant the latter reaches frontcenter.

So-oalled feeler-looms' of the'type wherein filling-replenishingmechanism is actuated by or through a feeler upon exhaustion of theshuttle-filling to a predetermined extent, aresomewhatvariableinoperationattimes,owing to the fact that the forwardstroke of the lay on which the feeling of the filling is accomplished isnot uniform,and with such looms my present invention is particularlyuseful, as the uniformity in the front-center position 'of the layresults in a more even and accurate operation of the feeler.

The novel features of my invention willbe hereinafterfully described,and particularly pointed out in the following claims.

Figure 1 is a top or plan view of the lefthand end of a loom, showing afeeler device and illustrating one embodiment of my invention and Fig. 2is a partial left-hand side elevation of the loom shown in Fig. 1, thefeeler and adjacent devices being omitted.

The loom-frame A, lay A the operating or controlling rock-shaft d toeffect the operation of filling-replenishing mechanism of the well-knownNorthrop type--say, for instance, as shown in Patent No. 662,320, datedNovember 20, 1900-the shipper N its holdingplate N, the stand or bracketa, on which. is fulcrumed the L-shaped feeler-arm f having an innerextension f and controlling a latch-carrier 0 the shuttle-box B havingan aperture 3 in its front wall to receive the feeler f as the lay beatsup, the automatically self-threading shuttle S, having a feelerreceivingslot 4 in its side Wall,'the filling fork m its slide m, and theknock-off lever' n n may be and are allsubstantially as shown anddescribed in the patent referred to and operating substantially astherein-set forth,

"it being understood that in the type of loom hereinillustrated thefeeler entersthe shuttle on every alternate beat of the layand feels thefilling therein, the filling intermittingly moving the feeler untilpredetermined exhaustion of -the filling, whereupon the rockshaft d isturned, as in the patent referred to, to operate thefilling-replenishing mechanism (not herein sl1own)'t0 provide theshuttle with a fresh supply of filling.

The high speed at which looms are frequently run imparts great momentumto the lay, so that the front-center position thereof varies, owing towear of the parts and to more or less give of the loom, and consequentlythe movement of the lay is not as uniform as it should be in order toobtain the best results,

and particularly is this true infeeler-looms where it is desired thatthe feelertmechanism shall feel down, as 'it is termed, to an extremelyfine point.

In my present invention I have obviated the non-uniformity of movementof the loom as to its position of front center by providing a bufferoperative at or about the instant the loom reaches front center, theyielding character of the buffer taking up shock and also absorbing anylost motion due to looseness of parts or backlash and causing the loomto a come to its front center position at practically the same point onevery forward beat.

In the present embodiment of my invention the buffer is shown as a block12 of rubber or other similar yielding and elastic material, suitablysecured to the front of the lay,as .by screws 20, (see Fig. 2,)thebuffer being so 10- cated as to engage a fixed bumper on the forwardbeat of the lay, and herein the bracket or stand a, constitutes suchbumper.

In order to protect the material of the buffer from the wear due toconstant intermittent engagement with the bumper, it may be providedwith a facing, as b of leather or other suitable flexible material,which will not interfere with the cushioning action of the bumper.

The buifer operates to stop the lay at its front center at substantiallythe same point on every forward stroke or beat and yet without the jaror shock that would be occasioned by causing a rigid or unyielding partof the lay to impinge upon an equally rigid or unyielding bumper.

The wear and tear on the moving parts of a loom, particularly thoseparts connected with the actuation of a lay, is very great, as is wellknown to those skilled in the art, and by providing the cushioningdevice or yielding bufier the backlash or lost motion is taken up andcompensated for and the front-center position of the lay accuratelydefined without shock or jar.

It will be manifest that to locate the cushion or bufier on a fixed partof the loom to impinge upon the lay as the latter beats up will be amere reversal of the construction herein illustrated and falling withinthe spirit and scope of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a loom, the lay, the breast-beam, and

a yielding cushion on one to engage an unyielding part of the other asthe lay reaches front center on each forward beat.

2. In a loom, the lay, and a yielding buffer therefor operative to takeup lost motion and render the forward beat of the lay uniform.

3. In a loom, the lay, ayieldingbuifer thereon, and a rigid bumpermounted on a fixed part of the loom, to engage the bufier each time thelay beats up, reducing the jar and defining the forward stroke of thelay.

4:. In a loom, the lay, a shuttle adapted to contain a supply offilling, a feeler to intermittingly engage the filling as the lay heatsup, mechanism controlled by or through the feeler when theshuttle-filling is exhausted to a predetermined extent, and a yieldingbuffer for the lay, to define and render uniform its forward beat andreduce shock.

5. In a loom, the lay, an elastic rubber buffer mounted on the frontthereof,and a fixedlypositioned rigid bumper in the path of and toengage the buffer as the lay reaches its front center on each forwardbeat.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES H. WVARREN.

Witnesses:

FRANK J. DUTCHER, H. F. SEARLES.

